Are you getting confused between Waite and Crowley? You may be a beginner and thinking about starting a tarot journey. But you don’t know from which one to start. In the article, we have provided the differences between the two decks. These are going to remove all your confusion.
Tarot decks, in general, are composed of several cards that depict images used for divination. The Waite and Crowley Tarot decks are versions of the standard tarot deck. The images on each card of the Waite and Crowley Tarot decks differ markedly. (In fact, the images depicted on each card of the Waite and Crowley Tarot decks differ from those depicted on each card of any other tarot deck to date.)
Waite Vs. Crowley
Waite and Crowley appear differently; one is more profound, and the other is simple and light. A different artist invents both decks. They provide their artwork on the deck. Check out the below for further information.
Rider Waite Tarot Deck
Arthur Edward Waite is an Occultist and creator of the Rider Waite deck. He is well known for his involvement in rider Waite’s tarot deck, first published in 1910 by the Golden Dawn member Pamela Coleman Smith.
- 78 Cards
- Rider Waite Tarot has set the standard for hundreds of other tarot...
Waite decks are the most traditional deck and are well known, and their images are simple; details and background provide much information. All the Christian images in the previous deck were toned. For example, pip cards become Hierophant, and kings become Knights. Waite provides original artwork, and images are hand-drawn.
Crowley Tarot Deck
Aleister Crowley is an English Occultist who created the Thoth deck. Crowley forms the Thoth deck and refers to the deck as The Book of the Thoth.
What is the meaning of the Crowley tarot deck? The deck has three versions: the Thoth Tarot, the Crowley Tarot, and the Crowley-Harris Thoth Tarot. Each version has different artwork. However, they all have the same minor arcana and major arcana.
Crowley initially considered the Thoth deck as a six-month project. He aimed to update the traditional deck. Crowley renamed many trump cards and re-changed the Rider’s Waite tarot deck. All the themes remain the same as the traditional deck, just the symbol and figure change.
As you probably know, Crowley was the founding father of the Thelema religious philosophy and the first to re-write the cryptic Book of the Law into a language we could all understand.
In addition, Crowley developed his system of divination, known as the Book T and the Thoth Tarot. As a result, this deck is a little different from what you might expect from a tarot deck.
The cards are modeled after Egyptian hieroglyphics, with all the human figures missing, so they are pure symbols. Every card also has a name and number corresponding to a chapter in the Book of the Law.
Review of the differences between the Waite and Crowley Tarot Deck
In the last few years, there has been a surge of interest in the Waite-Crowley deck, a tarot deck created in the early 1900s by artist Pamela Colman Smith and writer Arthur Edward Waite. This deck combines the standard imagery of tarot with images from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the most popular tarot deck in the world. The result is a deck with imagery most people are familiar with (Keywords: Sun, Death, The Emperor, The Wheel of Fortune) and a few surprises (Keywords: Temperance, The Moon, The Star).
Key Differences:
Waite and Crowley are both members of the Golden Dawn. But Crowley is much closer to describing the golden dawn than Rider Waite.
Crowley changes major arcana cards, such as Temperance as art, strength as lust, and Judgment as Aeon.
Crowley made an exciting alteration by adding a one-word description to his pip cards that provided an initial meaning. The lady Frida Harris draws the deck in an art deco style. The deck provides all the Kabbalist and archeologist themes.
Waite deck is a masterwork by the occult philosopher. The deck provides original artwork in each pip card to convey meanings. Waite deck follows Marseille tradition, and this deck has the most popularity. It is easy to read and understandable.
As both the deck are formed in tarot, Crowley is supervised by “The Book of Thoth,” and Waite is Supervised by “The Pictorial Key To The Tarot.”
Waite decks are perfect for beginners, but Crowley is perfect for advanced readers as Crowley provides much insight and new ideas.
Finale Verdict
So, we hope you understand the difference between Waite and Crowley. Both play a significant role in contributing to the tarot. Both are perfect at their work. If you are a beginner, we will suggest you choose Rider Waite, and if you are a tarot expert, go with the Crowly deck.
Feel free to choose any of the decks. Happy Shopping.
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Last update on 2024-12-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API